In Diane Schuler 2009 Taconic Parkway crash, 4 lawsuits settled

Four lawsuits have been settled from a 2009 crash that killed eight after a drunk and high West Babylon woman drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway, according to court documents and attorneys handling two of the cases.

The lawsuits against the estate of Diane Schuler, 36, claimed she was negligent when she drove a minivan south in the northbound lanes of the parkway on July 26, 2009. Schuler, one of her children and three of her young nieces in the minivan were killed, as were three people in the northbound car she hit.

Officials said Schuler's blood-alcohol level was 0.19, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, and that she had consumed marijuana.

"The terms of the settlement are confidential and the court records are sealed," attorney Kevin Grennan, of Garden City, said Wednesday. Online records show the four cases, all in state Supreme Court in Westchester County, were marked with a disposition date of Sept. 11, 2013.

Grennan said there are still two cases pending in the state Court of Claims alleging that the design of the roadway was faulty. Grennan was the attorney in one of the Westchester County cases, representing Bryan Schuler, who was 5 at the time and the sole survivor, and the estate of Erin Schuler, 2, who was killed. He also is the attorney in one of the Court of Claims cases.

The settlement included claims by the estates of the three Yonkers men in the other car who died: Guy Bastardi, 49; his father, Michael Bastardi, 81; and their friend, Daniel Longo, 74.